A 19-year-old man jumped to his death on Saturday from the Vessel installation in Hudson Yards Park, the New York Times reports. “Our deepest sympathies are with the family of the person who lost their life last evening. We have no further comment at this time,” says Kathleen Corless, a spokeswoman for Hudson Yards. (more…)

Collector Andre Sakhai is suing dealer Inigo Philbrick over a Wade Guyton work he had agreed to buy, but which he claims the dealer sold to another party without his knowledge. “Since the time that the fraud was revealed several months ago, we are seeing more victims coming forward to claim what is rightfully theirs,” says Judd Grossman, a lawyer representing Sakhai. (more…)

Jodie Foster will direct a film about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from The Louvre. The thief, an Italian criminal named Vincenzo Perugia, hid inside the Louvre disguised as an employee until nightfall, then walked out of the museum with the work.   (more…)

LACMA has received a $50 million gift towards building its new campus, pledged by the W.M. Keck Foundation.  “It’s thrilling. I am really grateful to the Keck Foundation,” LACMA Director Michael Govan said of the organization. “It’s really exciting because it’s about bringing new people into philanthropy for culture.” (more…)

The Hong Kong Art Gallery Association has released a statement expressing its support for the region and for whatever decisions the Art Basel Hong Kong fair makes regarding its upcoming edition.  “Let us assure you that the fair representatives have been in constant consultation with many of our gallery members as well as regional art collectors regarding the status of the city as it navigates one of the most tumultuous periods in its history,” it reads. “They have been sensitive and considered in their understanding of Hong Kong and its unique positioning.”  (more…)

A daring smash and grab theft in Stockholm saw thieves make off with a set of sculptures by Salvador Dali. “They were worth 200,000 to 500,000 crowns (£16,000 to £40,000) each. So it’s quite a lot of money. It’s terrible,” the gallery owner, Peder Enstrom, said. (more…)

Jamal Penjweny,  Saddam is Here (2010), via MoMA

Military engagement in Iraq over the last 30 years has had a unprecedented impact on contemporary culture and society, with American intervention  in the Gulf and Iraq Wars opening a debate on American values and beliefs, in turn influencing the work of artists around the world. Exploring this concept MoMA PS1 presents Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 1991-2011, a large-scale group exhibition analyzing the legacy of the U.S. military presence in the region. The exhibition spans four floors, including more than 250 works featuring over 80 artists and collectives, including thirty-six Iraqis and Kuwaitis.

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The Van Gogh Museum has made a major acquisition of a pastel work by Edgar Degas, the first of its kind to enter the Dutch national collection. “The Van Gogh Museum has long cherished the wish to add a top-ranking Degas nude to its collection, preferably one from the period in which Van Gogh discovered the French artist’s work,” reads a museum statement. “For that reason, Woman Bathing will remain on permanent display following its unveiling today.” (more…)

Noah Davis, Man with Alien and Shotgun (2008), all images via Art Observed

In the all-too-short run of his life as both an artist and organizer, Noah Davis was a larger than life energy.  He was a tireless advocate for black arts in Los Angeles, and a relentless energetic painter whose lush figurative style tied together signifiers and concepts from across the expanse of modern painting.  As curator and organizer at the Underground Museum, a black-owned-and-operated art space dedicated to the exhibition of museum-quality art in a culturally underserved African American and Latinx neighborhood, he was a central figure in advocating and advancing the work of his peers and predecessors, creating historical dialogues on the back of his own vision.   This energy serves as the underlying power of his current exhibition at David Zwirner in New York, where the late artist’s work is succinctly summarized and celebrated.

Noah Davis, 1975 (8) (2013)

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The Tate is stoking controversy in London this week after a job posting on its site for “head of coffee” was noted to have higher pay than its curators. “All Tate’s departments have a variety of roles with different responsibilities and salaries, including curatorial, and a more accurate comparison would be a curatorial team leader,” the museum responded. “We value all our staff and strive to pay them appropriately for their work at Tate.” (more…)

Cecilie Hollberg will return to her post as director of the Galleria dell’Accademia.  The move comes after Alberto Bonisoli, the right-wing Italian culture minister who tried to take control of the museum and merge it with the Uffizi was replaced by Dario Franceschini.  “[Bonisoli] did not explain to me the reason for wanting to remove autonomy from the Academy by merging it with the Uffizi,” Hollberg said in an interview last year. “And nobody in the ministry was able to give me an explanation on this counter-reform.” She claimed that her German nationality may have led to the change in her contract, and she added, “I am convinced that culture cannot be exploited by politics.” (more…)

W Magazine takes a tour of the home of soon-to-be Serpentine head Bettina Korek, as she prepares for the upcoming fair and shows off her art collection. “She brings worlds together, and has connected the art scene to music, film, architecture, and literature,” Hans Ulrich Obrist says of her work. “That’s very Serpentine.” (more…)

The Beijing Triennial has been postponed over fears of the coronavirus, Art News reports.  “To reduce mass gathering amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, CAFA Art Museum (CAFAM) will postpone the CAFAM Techne Triennial 2020 and has suspended its preparations for the exhibition,” says CAFA director Zhang Zikang. “We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this change, and hope that you understand the unexpected and complex situation we are facing.” (more…)

Following the outbreaks of corona, Hong Kong has shuttered its public art institutions indefinitely, a move that creates even more challenges for Art Basel’s upcoming fair in the city. “We are closely monitoring the developments and recommendations issued by the World Health Organization and national governments, as well as consulting directly with relevant experts. We will provide updates on the implications for our Hong Kong show as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for the fair said. (more…)

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Hanne Darboven, Erdkunde I, II, III (1986), via Sprüth Magers

Currently on view at Sprüth Magers in Berlin, the gallery presents a selection of works by Hanne Darboven, the first solo exhibition of the artist’s work at the Berlin gallery.  Compiling her works Erdkunde I, II, III (Geography I, II, III) (1986) and (Süd-) Koreanischer Kalender / (South) Korean Calendar (1991), the exhibition marks the beginning of the gallery’s worldwide representation of the Darboven Estate.  (more…)

A piece in Fast Company looks at Gagosian’s new online strategy with its “Viewing Room” project, and the high-profile sales the gallery has brought in through it. “We have proven that collectors are now willing to buy and sell art online in the $100,000 to $2 million range with meaningful frequency,” says Gagosian director Alison McDonald. (more…)

Seth Cameron, founder of the Bruce High Quality Foundation, will take on a new role as executive director of the Children’s Museum of Art. “Seth’s broad experience as an artist, educator, and administrator makes him the perfect choice to lead this institution,” says William S. Floyd. (more…)

Italian film producer Roberto Cicutto will take over as  president of the Biennale di Venezia.  He succeeds Paolo Baratta, who headed the famed exhibition for twelve years. (more…)

The Pérez Art Museum Miami has promoted curator René Morales to director of curatorial affairs and chief curator.  “Each member of PAMM’s staff plays a vital role in the museum’s success,”says director Franklin Sirmans. “As Miami’s flagship art museum, we are always diversifying our programming to meet our audiences’ needs and growing the collection at an astounding pace.” (more…)

The opening of the Munchmuseet in Oslo has been postponed until the autumn due to delays in its building process. “The building is such a massive project, it’s simply delayed. We are just working out the logistics,” says Tracey Emin, who is preparing a show of her own works alongside those of Edvard Munch to open the space. “The upside for me is, the longer the delay, the longer I have to enjoy the Munch archive!” (more…)

Jon Pylypchuk, Cast your empire on a kingdom of doubts (2019), via Petzel

On view in its Chelsea exhibition space, Petzel Gallery presents Waiting for the Next Nirvana, an exhibition of new paintings by Canada-born, Los Angeles-based artist Jon Pylypchuk. On view through the end of February, the show draws on his work as a musician, and as an artist, exploring concepts of nostalgia, anticipation, energy, confidence, and, foremost, seductive and rebellious emotion. (more…)

Christian Boltanski gets a profile in Forbes this week, as his show at the Centre Pompidou prepares to close.  “Maybe I’m happier now than I was some years ago,” he says as the conversation turns to mortality and the prospect of death in his own work. “Maybe when you ask yourself a lot of questions, something eventually happens that makes you better able to accept things.” (more…)

A carving of a horned devil bought by the J. Paul Getty Museum as a Paul Gauguin work has been disproven as a work by the artist.  The decision was made after an extended research process. “In December 2019 the museum changed the attribution of the sculpture Head with Horns to ‘unknown,’” a spokesperson said. “This decision was based on scholarly research over recent years by Getty professionals and other experts in the field, including significant new evidence that was not available at the time of its acquisition.” (more…)